Myrix Dar'khallen
Myrix, or Dar'khallen as he is called among his kin, is a Maldari prince and an unascended demigod created by the death god Vixeras. Few know of him outside of those he has come across during his travels or those who witnessed his exploits in Daruvia's arena as a young elf. Myrix is hunted relentlessly by numerous factions, including religious zealots led by his own mother, Queen Sydra; an opposing faction of dark elves who prefer to see him dead; and even the Soldari, who directly oppose the Maldari and will not risk Myrix to live even if he has shown no sign thus far of siding with his kin. Constantly on the run, Myrix only shows up throughout recent history from time to time. Those who have met him, enemy or friend, count him among the most skilled combatants they have ever witnessed. His battle prowess and solitary nature have thus far made killing or capturing him impossible for any of his pursuers. Myrix's current whereabouts are unknown. Appearance Myrix is tall for a Maldari, around 6 ft., well-muscled but thin like his dark elven counterparts. His shoulders are slightly broader than the average elf, making him an imposing figure when donning his full suit of armor. Draped around his shoulders is his trademark crimson cloak, which is believed to be enchanted. His hair is long and white, his eyes a piercing red, and his skin a deep blue like the darkening sky. His armor is of custom design, a mix of plate, chain, and leather. The shoulders, arms, shins, and feet are protected by plate, but chain and leather make up the rest for ease of movement to support Myrix's blindingly-quick fighting style. His left hand is covered by a gauntlet clearly not of mortal origin, for its style and construction appear alien to any onlooker. He wears no covering on his right hand in order to better communicate with his sentient lance, Felancir. Abilities Myrix possesses a slew of special abilities that make him one of the deadliest fighters in the realms. In addition to his demigod powers, Myrix has obtained various relics and skills in his travels that only served to heighten his considerable power. Martial Prowess Taken as a child, Myrix was sold into slavery in the city of Daruvia and trained as an arena combatant for the entertainment of the crowd. Even at a young age, Myrix showed considerable aptitude for battle and quickly picked up on the techniques he was taught, though it was always his skills of improvisation that gave him an edge in the arena. Myrix continued to hone his skills as he grew, and there are now few who would wish to stand against him in single combat. Myrix's preferred fighting style is one-handed without a shield, a preference that he has now honed to deadly perfection utilizing the combination of his Soul Gauntlet and deathlance. His battle technique has been described as "wild and unpredictable", for Myrix values speed and avoidance over brute force. The dangerous elf is known to dart from place to place and even soar above his opponent with blinding speed until an opening is found, at which point he prefers to end things with a single attack. Sorcery As a Maldari, Myrix has some latent connection to magic as well as a natural resistance to its effect uncommon in other races. In his early days in Daruvia, his masters sought to teach him sorcery so that he would be a grander spectacle in the arena as spellcasters were not common there. Despite this, Myrix found the study tedious and difficult and served only to frustrate his teachers, thus he was trained in close-combat instead. However, Myrix would later find sorcery to be to his advantage and in the current age is a capable spellweaver, though he generally only uses spells that will give him some benefit in martial combat and rarely uses them for offense. Myrix tends to make use of sigils and occasionally previously prepared circles rather than stopping to cast traditional spells, as such an act clashes with his constant movement in battle. Cursed Brand Branded upon his forehead, the mark of the death god Vixeras is a seal that allows Vixeras to subtly communicate with his son and also serves as a locking mechanism that limits the overwhelming power of Myrix's demigod abilities in order for him to better serve Vixeras among mortals. However, to Myrix, the brand is merely seen as a constant reminder of his cursed existence. Though the nature of the brand's magic is unknown, during times of greatly heightened emotion the seal has temporarily broken and Myrix has been able to tap into his demigod powers to often devastating results. More recently, it is believed that Myrix has at last mastered control of the brand (or perhaps himself) and is able to draw it open or reseal it at will. Evidence suggests that overusing the brand severely exhausts him. There are two stages to the brand's usage: Stage 1 - In this stage, the seal is not yet fully broken but is merely leaking power. The mark springs alight with flame and Myrix's battle prowess and awareness is heightened considerably, though his judgement becomes compromised as the influence of Vixeras tends to fill his mind with rage and a desire to kill without remorse. Stage 2 - In this stage, the seal fully opens and Myrix takes on the true form of the child of Vixeras, God of Death. The brand expands to cover most of his body. Horns protrude from his forehead and great, leathery wings from his back. His skin takes on a whiter hue and his hair turns black. His pupils turn yellow and slitted. Appendages are slightly elongated, with fingers and toes becoming clawed. Myrix is only barely in control of his body in this form, constantly fighting against Vixeras' influence. His speed and strength is increased tenfold and he gains the ability to fly. He can also survive in the Deadspire in this form, where no mortal can walk. He is unable to willingly call Felancir while the seal is open, but she can come to him of her own accord. With the seal open, Myrix is believed to be as powerful as a true god can be in a mortal body. Felancir Myrix's chosen weapon, Felancir is an ancient sentient magical weapon of unknown origin. Felancir chooses her master, and once bound to someone will come to their call. It is not known what causes her to choose a master, but once she does she is fiercely protective of them. She can speak into the mind of her master whether she is summoned or not, and can even summon herself to the physical realm if she wishes. Felancir appears to be crafted from gleaming white metal, but the construction is unlike any other weapon. Six feet in length, the body of the lance is also covered in razor-edge blades that never dull. To Myrix, the weapon is perfectly weighted, and despite its size can be swung around as easily as a short-sword. For this reason, Felancir has become the perfect compliment to Myrix's battle style, as he is able to move around swiftly without the weight of such a large weapon slowing or tiring him. The weapon's length allows him to seek holes in an enemy's defenses, a task that is often easy as not many are used to fighting a foe who uses a lance on foot in such a way. As the summoning of Felancir is just a matter of thought, Myrix has also adapted his fighting style to allow him to throw or drop the lance at any time it is convenient and simply summon her again to his side. This has served Myrix well on several occasions, and spelled the end of many a foe who thought the weaponless dark elf was now an easy target. Soul Gauntlet History